Sunday, April 20, 2008

Alleging that the Sixth Pay Commission has failed to meet their expectations, the Ex-Serviceman wing of the SAD has sought a separate pay commission for the serving and retired defence personnel. The wing has handed over a memorandum to Lok Sabha MP Sharanjit Singh Dhillon highlighting their demands.

Addressing mediapersons after giving the memorandum to Dhillon, Col Partap Inder Singh Phulka (retired) said, "One Rank One Pension issue has been buried by Congress-led UPA government. The Central Government appointed 6th Pay Commission, which has recommended final burial of this long pending 'One Rank One Pension' demand of the ex-servicemen of the country."

Col Phulka said other 'harsh and damaging' recommendations have been tabled in Parliament in the last week of March with regards to defence forces. "Punjab has the largest number of ex-servicemen who will be affected by this new proposal. He said that only the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) supported this demand of the ex-servicemen and had included in SAD's election manifesto.

Col Phulka said that besides Ludhiana MP Dhillon, their Wing will also approach other MPs from the state so that this issue was raised in the Lok Sabha.

He said, "We have carried out a detailed study of the report and are of the view that following the 6th Pay Commission recommendations, youngsters might be disillusioned from joining the armed forces and in that case our military basic training academics will close down one day and the country will be left with no choice but to order conscription.

Already the defence forces are facing shortage of 12,000 plus officers and the acceptance of these recommendations will open floodgates of applications for premature retirement."

Col Phulka declared that ex-servicemen wing of SAD will join all future protest marches and rallies besides mobilising their grass root ex-servicemen to teach Congress led UPA Government a lesson in forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.